They did it different in Delvecchio's day

Alex Delvecchio never really got his hands on the Stanley Cup even though he helped the Detroit Red Wings win it three times.

The longtime Red Wings center, whose No. 10 hangs high in the rafters of Joe Louis Arena after the team retired it in 1991, looked back on his 24-year National Hockey League career and the NHL of today before signing autographs before and during Sunday's Saginaw Spirit game at TheDow Event Center.

Delvecchio and his Detroit teammates won the Stanley Cup in 1952, 1954 and 1955, but unlike today, players didn't grab the cherished chalice and skate it around the rink.

Nope. Back in the day, then-Commissioner Clarence Campbell handed the Stanley Cup to Red Wings captain Ted Lindsay. But he didn't have it long, giving it right back to Campbell.

"We weren't hoisting the Cup. They never let us (players) touch it," Delvecchio recalled. "Ted Lindsay was the one who touched it. It never left the pedestal or table it was on. After a little get-together (in the locker room), the Cup was there and then it was gone.

"We never had any time with it (after the season like the players of today). It was a no-no."

Delvecchio's proud of playing on the "Production Line" with Gordie Howe and Lindsay.

"I still keep in touch with them," Delvecchio said. "Besides winning the Cup my first year (as a rookie), being able to play on the same line as Gordie and Teddy are my (fondest memories). Gordie is the greatest hockey player (ever), and being able to play with him was a thrill."

"You know what, when we played, we played for $50,000 or $60,000 and that was big money," Delvecchio said. "A lot more than I would have made had I stayed in Thunder Bay. I don't begrudge these guys making the big money. It's great for them. Some are overpaid, but that will happen at any time. Good for them.

"In those days, you did your own negotiating with Jack Adams or Sid Abel, and they never did at contract time how good a year you had. It was forget last year; what are you going to do for me next year? When you came out of the room, you were generally happy with what you got."

Delvecchio isn't happy with the way games are officiated today, insisting the referees almost seem to make up penalties.

"It's a little too loose on the officials side for some reason or another," he added. "It's like if you just touch another player's glove (with your stick), it's slashing and they argue with the players. But the players can't say a word to the officials.

"The players are living with it, but you can see them shaking their heads a lot because they aren't happy with the calls."

Delvecchio, as the Red Wings' captain later in his career, had more leeway to talk to the officials, but he said most players could chat with them and not risk getting a penalty.

"I can remember telling a referee 'you're heck tonight,' and he'd say 'you're no better.' That kind of shut you up."